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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23207263">Route Nine</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/stories_and_thyme/pseuds/stories_and_thyme'>stories_and_thyme</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sword &amp; Shield | Pokemon Sword &amp; Shield Versions</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Camping, Gen, Hop is bisexual, Hopeful Ending, M/M, Masaru | Victor and Yuuri | Gloria are Twins, Or romantic, can be read as platonic, not relevant but still, not too bad</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 02:21:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,371</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23207263</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/stories_and_thyme/pseuds/stories_and_thyme</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Hop has a lot of negative feelings and he talks about some of them after battling the Circhester gym.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hop &amp; Masaru | Victor, Hop/Masaru | Victor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>73</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Route Nine</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>it's my birthday so gimmie comments and kudos!<br/>Important Headcannon: Iris, Leon, and Hop are related!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The great, wide, frozen expansiveness of the Route Nine has Gloria, Victor, and Hop in a state of chilling awe. The night has begun to fall and the sun rapidly sets, leaving the trio with perhaps only 30 more minutes of daylight left. Victor strongly suggests they set up camp and reluctantly Gloria agrees with her brother.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The tents are set up quickly enough without much issue and Hop prepares a huge pot of spicy bean medley curry for all of them and their Pokémon to share. While he mixes in the beans and berries he stares at himself in the broth. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He frowns at his reflection with a bit of disgust. He’s never liked himself. He doesn’t think he ever will. I mean, how can someone like him? He’s merely the loser brother of Galar’s greatest champion and the cousin of one of the youngest champions of the world and the youngest champ of Unova. His parents are region famous Normal-type breeders and his Grandmother is the reigning Pokémon Coordinator with the most won titles in all of history! He simply can’t compete with the rest of his family. He’s destined to be a nobody for the rest of his life because he’s just average.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’s an average trainer. An average cook. An average athlete. Even at school, he was simply average. Never did he have spectacularly poor grades but he certainly wasn’t top of his class in any subject.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Average.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And average might as well be bad.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hop blinks rapidly as he feels the sides of his eyes burn as if they are tearing up. He shakes his head and focuses on the cooking at hand. He’ll be damned if he burns this curry because he’s too busy having a pity party!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ten minutes later he calls everyone to eat and the sun has nearly disappeared over the horizon. The temperature has dropped a surprising amount since the three first arrived at the route and so everyone eats hurriedly to consume warmth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once everyone has finished their meal they call their teams back and disappear into their separate tents for the night. Hop shoves himself down into his sleeping bag and stares at the roof of his tent replaying the events of earlier that day.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At the beginning of the day, all three young trainers had challenged the Circhester Gym Leader, Melony. It had been an easy win for all three of them but even still it was clear that the twins, Victor and Gloria, were better than Hop when it came to battling. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Afterward, Hop challenged Victor to a battle outside the city’s natural hot spring and lost in horrifyingly astounding fashion. If he wasn’t such an easy, happy-go-lucky person he would have burst into tears after such a public humiliation but he took one look at Victor’s disappointed face and threw a tight smile on his face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Victor would always win when they battled. And every single victory he would have the same distraught face. As if he wanted to lose. As if he was trying to let Hop have a win.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The very thought of Victor not giving his all made Hop’s blood boil though and he knew his best friend would never disrespect him like that. But a small sliver of Hop prayed to Arceus that he might win a match, regardless of how it happened.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hop sits in the cold silence of his thoughts for hours. His eyes droop and his face slacks but he couldn’t fall asleep. Not with all this negativity swarming his mind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Getting up from his sleeping bag he walks outside his tent into the frigid wilderness and as the cold hits his face his eyes water just like before. He lets out a breath and watches it disappear into the air. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Briefly, he wonders if he should talk to someone about all this. It’s probably not healthy. Probably. But he wouldn’t know since he’s never actually shared any of his heavier feelings. It just seems rude to burden someone else with his problems, you know?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lifting his head he stares at the night sky. The stars twinkle extraordinarily in a wondrous display. He watches them and a smile momentarily cracks on his face. Then, when he hears the noise of a tent zipper unzipping, the smile falls. He turns to see a confused Victor with his face illuminated by a flashlight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hop…?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, what are you doing up mate?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He shrugs. “How about you? Are you okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know you like to sleep in,” Victor says. “I just would think you’d be fast asleep by now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well I uh, had a nightmare.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At that Victor inches closer. “Do you want to talk about it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nah, mate. ‘M good. No need for all that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know you’re my best friend right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With his statement, Hop raises his brows. “Yeah. I know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you? Sometimes you act like you don’t.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s that supposed to mean?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Victor glances at Hop and then to his sister’s tent. He sighs. “You’ve been really distant lately. Ever since we started our gym challenge and especially after Kabu’s gym you’ve just been different... I guess. Both Gloria and I noticed but it’s really been worrying me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t need to worry. I’m not acting--”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But you are,” Victor says louder than he means to and quickly looks back to his sister’s tent to see if she’s stirred from her slumber. “You are,” he repeats quieter. “You’re slowly withdrawing yourself and it’s like you don’t like me anymore. I don’t know if I did something to you but if I did please tell me how I can fix it. I don’t want us not to be best friends.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Barking out a laugh Hop says while clapping the other boy’s back, “Vic, mate, I love you. You could never make me not like you. You’re my best friend. I love you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then why have you been so remote?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I hate myself,” Hop says matter-of-factly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hop shrugs as he looks at Victor’s shocked facial expression. “I hate myself. I think I’ve always hated myself but this gym challenge mate, it just made me realize it more, you know? I’m not good at anything. Like, at all. I suck. And there just isn’t any room for average people like me in my family. Maybe if I wasn’t related to so many amazing people I’d be satisfied with being the loser that I am but I’m not satisfied right now and that’s what matters.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You aren’t a loser.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh but I am.” Hop runs his hands through his hair and he starts to shiver. The temperature is starting to get to him. “I scrape on by the skin of my teeth whenever I win a battle and I’ve lost more battles than I can count on two hands. Face it, I’m a loser.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No,” Victor shakes his head. “You aren’t a loser. You’ve made it this far in the gym challenge when so many others have dropped. You are awesome Hop and it’s not fair to yourself to only focus on what you think are shortcomings. I know you’re beyond cool and you should too.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hop rolls his eyes and shakes his head in disagreement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Victor holds up a hand and lets up a pinky. “When have I ever lied to you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Vic are you serious right now?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He shakes his pinky vigorously. “When have I lied?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Never,” Hop says.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Exactly. Never. And I won’t start lying now. I pinky swear on it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You pinky swear? What are you, five?” Hop groans but still raises his pinky up and locks it with Victor’s.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Whispering low Victor says, “You’re so cool Hop.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m glad you think so mate.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know so. Now let’s get back in our tents before we freeze to death, aye?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure.” They unhook pinkys and head towards their tents but before Hop makes it all the way into his Victor whisper-shouts across the way.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I love you too! Just for the record.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah mate, I know you do.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then act like it.” And with that, he’s gone into his tent leaving Hop feeling slightly better than he felt before.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i'm not even joking today (march 18th) is my birthday and I wrote this as my birthday present so I better see comments and/or kudos or i'll be :(((((</p></blockquote></div></div>
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